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Monday, February 28, 2011

You sound off way too early on Monday mornings. Do you have a setting to make time stand still so I can sleep an extra hour?

Yours truly,

A Very Sleepy Roller Coaster

Dear Broken Heater,

This isn't exactly the most ideal time of year for you to stop working. Can you please fix yourself so my family doesn't have to eat breakfast with mittens?

Thanks,

A Freezing Family

Dear Angry Mother of One of My Students,

Can you please take it easy on me during our conference today? I want your son to succeed just as much as you do. We're on the same side here. So let's both keep an open mind and remember that we both want what's best for your son.

Sincerely,

A Sympathetic Teacher

Dear Big C,

How is it possible that my baby boy is 7 years old?! I know all moms say this, but WHERE DID THE TIME GO? You are growing into an incredible young man, and my heart is bursting with pride. I love you.

Hugs and kisses,

A Proud Mama

PS--Now that you're 7, you really have no excuse for not making your bed or clearing the dinner table. On the other hand, don't you dare think you're too old to give me hugs.

We all have times when we wish we could write a letter to someone or something to let them know how we really feel. Who or what would you write a letter to today? What would you say?

Care to share? Go ahead and write a letter you'll never send and link it up below.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

PROJECT GRATITUDE DAY 58: I am thankful for the Oscars. Even though these days I haven't seen most of the movies that are nominated, this awards show always reminds me of a very special day. Seven years ago, I watched the Oscars from my hospital room as I held my one day old baby boy, basking in happiness and complete disbelief that I was suddenly a mother.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

PROJECT GRATITUDE DAY 57: I am thankful I was able to finish my students' report cards in only 5 hours.

I'm also thankful for the comment section of the report cards for forcing me to think of at least 2 positive things about each student. It's amazing how sandwiching 1 criticism in between 2 compliments can help to see someone in a different light.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Do you ever have those weeks when everything goes exactly as they should? The new furniture you bought comes out of the box undamaged. Your work days begin and end with smiles. You receive only happy, encouraging, flattering emails. You've avoided the sinus pressure and sore throat everyone else is suffering from. And your house is perfectly spotless. I have those weeks.

Unfortunately, this week is not one of them.

If you flip everything I just said into the exact opposite, then you get an idea of how my week is going. And of course it always feels worse when the spit hits the fan all at once. I don't think the nasty email from the parent of 1 of my students would have bothered me so much if I wasn't bogged down with report card preparation. I don't think the damaged furniture would have bothered me so much if my house wasn't a disaster. I don't think my busy days would be bothering me so much if I wasn't functioning solely on Mucinex.

I'm in a funk. And when I have weeks like this, I don't know how to get out of my funk other than hiding under a blanket and watching mindless televsion. So after I deal with the dinner that needs to be cooked and the damaged furniture that needs to be exchanged and the laundry that needs to be washed and folded, maybe I'll slip into my Snuggie and catch up on my American Idol.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

I haven't seen my parents since July. So when they came to visit for a few days this past weekend for Big C's birthday party, I tried to enjoy and appreciate the short time we were able to spend together.

My parents and I have always been very close. Well, maybe we hit some rough patches in my teenage years, but in general, we've always had a great relationship. I talk to them every single day, usually twice a day, but talking on the phone just isn't the same as a visit.

It's amazing to see how that parent/child dynamic has changed over the years. My parents have gone from being my caregivers to my friends. And I can only hope that I'll have the same kind of relationship with my own children.

Here are my...

Top 10 Reasons Why I Love When My Parents Visit

10) They give awesome redecorating tips and offer extra hands for moving furniture. Our house never looks the same after they visit!

9) Unlike typical house guests, they don't expect me to be a hostess or entertain them. They are more than content to sit on the couch and just visit.

8) My mother sits through "fashion shows" as I try on all my clothes and she helps me decide which clothes to get rid of and which to keep.

7) My father helps Mr. Roller Coaster with yard work and other outside activities that I'm not so great at, like holding the ladder (which isn't so easy when it includes watching helplessly as a tree limb knocks that ladder over and my husband falls out of the tree).

6) Even though I've retold and heard stories from my childhood a million times, it never gets old laughing about them again.

5) My parents still dote on me and pamper me.

4) They dote on and pamper my kids too.

3) I'm able to see my kids through their grandparents eyes. Their perspective helps me to see the humor in behavior that would typically frustrate me and other cute things I might otherwise overlook because I see them every day and my parents don't.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Over the weekend my son Big C celebrated his 7th birthday party. Well, his 1st one at least.

Birthday celebrations are always interesting when you're a military family. With service members training, traveling, deploying, and working crazy hours, military families have learned to celebrate special occasions when we can. So when we found out that Mr. Roller Coaster would be "on a trip" on Big's C's birthday, we decided to have the party early. One set of grandparents came to town for that party, and then we decided to celebrate again on his actual birthday when his other set of grandparents could come. Birthday #7 would surely be memorable!

Well, after this weekend, all I gotta say is let's hope the 2nd party goes more smoothly than the 1st.

Big C insisted upon a laser tag party just like last year, and there were only a few boys he wanted to invite. On party day this past Saturday, he was so excited. His friends came trickling in, and Mr. Roller Coaster painted their faces camouflage to get them into battle mode. But 1 little boy, Big C's "best bud" was nowhere in sight. My poor son waited and waited and waited at the door until finally we had to pull him away to start the first game. I tried calling the family, but no one answered. Big C's best bud was a no show.

Then during the break in between the 2 games, Big C announced that he would not be participating in the 2nd game. Parents and friends all tried to convince him to play, but he has clearly inherited both of his parents' stubbornness. He revealed to us later that he didn't want to play because he wasn't good at it.

I was almost happy when the party ended. I was disappointed both that Big's C's friend hadn't shown up and that Big C refused to participate in the party he had begged to have. (I also wasn't too thrilled with his attitude that if he wasn't successful at something, he wanted to simply give up, but that's a whole other blog post for another day.) As a parent, it's hard to watch a party you planned go down in flames and even harder to feel helpless when you want your child to have fun and he's not.

Mr. Roller Coaster assured me that Big C had fun, that the cake and the presents compensated for everything else. I'm sure that he won't think back on this party with as much disappointment as I will. And I know he's already looking forward to birthday party #2 at Chuck E. Cheese, especially because Mr. Roller Coaster's plans changed, and he'll be home after all. (Plans change in the military? Go figure.)

So wish us luck for a happy birthday party #2!

Have you thrown any disappointing birthday parties for your kids? Have your kids ever sported the "it's my party and I'll cry if I want to" attitude?

Thursday, February 17, 2011

I read once that the average date Americans abandon their New Year's Resolutions is February 17th. Well guess what today is.

Last month many of us made New Year's Resolutions. And by now, many of us have forgotten them. I made my own resolutions this year, 10 goals that seemed so important a mere 48 days ago. But honestly, when I sat down to write this post, I couldn't even remember them all. Hmmm, if I can't remember my oh so important resolutions, I can't imagine that I'm still working to accomplish them. And sure enough, when I revisited my list of resolutions, I realized my success rate is hitting at only about 30%.

I'm a 70% New Year's Resolution failure.

But I'm not giving up hope. Maybe this reevaluation is the push I needed to refresh my memory as well as my resolve.

So I'm trying again. After all, I still have 316 days left to increase my success rate. I'd like to be at least 50% successful. I have no shame in being half a failure.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

PROJECT GRATITUDE DAY 47: I am thankful that my children are healthy and happy. After hearing 2 heartbreaking stories of sick children and devastated families in the last 2 days, I can't help but feel lucky and thankful for my family's health. Extra hugs all around today.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Mil spouses are nothing if not supportive and helpful and caring and sympathetic. So it's no surprise that when one of my favorite bloggy friends over at Goodnight Moon found out that her neighbor's 8-year-old Logan had cancer, she jumped to help the devastated family.

She's having a raffle over at her blog with some amazing prizes. She's asking for a $5 minimum donation (but of course you can donate more). What's $5 folks? It's skipping Starbucks for a couple of days. The money is going toward a military family in need, and you could win something really cool.

So please go visit Goodnight Moon to find out more! The raffle will be open until midnight February 27th. And make sure you take her button for your blog to help spread the word.

From the posts I read yesterday, it seems that a lot of us are a bit cynical about Valentine's Day. And yes, I am of those cynics. But maybe that's a result of years of celebrating the holiday as grown-ups. Yesterday, so many of us reflected back upon the fun Valentine's Days we had as kids. Because of your reflections and my own happy memories from childhood, I thought I'd dedicate today's top 10 list to Valentine's Day, not from an adult's perspective, but from the eyes of children.

I used my class of kindergarteners as guinea pigs by asking them what Valentine's Day means to them. When most of them gave me blank stares of confusion, I reworded and asked what they think about when they think of Valentine's Day. Hopefully their responses can help all you cynics out there to see the holiday in a different light.

Here are my...

Top 10 List of What 6-Year-Olds Think About When They Think of Valentine's Day

10) Liking each other

9) My mommy and daddy

8) Red hearts

7) Spending time with each other

6) It's about being happy and friends.

5) Lots and lots of people give me candy!

4) Giving and being thankful for each other

3) Candy and love

2) You share and play with people, and even if you don't know them, they're still your friend.

1) I don't know. (This is #1 not because it's the most profound, but because it was the most common answer. It appears that, regardless of how many ways I tried to reword the question, 6-year-olds generally have no idea why they are giving cards and candy to their friends.)

What does Valentine's Day mean to you? Was it meaningful for you yesterday or are you a cynic?

Monday, February 14, 2011

I wanted to plan something fun for the day so I organized a little blog swap with some of my fellow mil spouse bloggers. Basically, we're all switching blogs for the day, guest posting about all things Valentine. Check out the participants in the linky below!

Who is my guest blogger today? I was thrilled when I picked this blogger's name out of my hat. To the Nth is one of the 1st mil spouse blogs I ever read. She's a Navy spouse, a search-and-rescue aircrew volunteer, a cat-lover, an incredible writer, and a new addition to the SpouseBuzz team (check out her SpouseBuzz bio and her 1st SpouseBuzz post...she's amazing!). I'm so excited to welcome her as the 1st ever guest blogger on Riding the Roller Coaster!

So without further adieu, To the Nth...

The word “Valentine,” for me, does not immediately conjure up images of chocolate, cherubic archery experts, or hearts trimmed with lace. Instead, my brain supplies me with visions of fur and whiskers and stripes and a quiet feline dignity.

Wait. Scratch that “dignity” bit.

Valentine is one of our two tabby cats, rescued from the local shelter shortly after my husband Sampson and I PCSed to Virginia in 2008. I had grown up with feline companions in residence, while the allergies of Sampson’s father and sister kept his childhood home a fur-free zone. As Sampson himself did not share the itchy-eye affliction, I made no secret of the fact that I longed to have cats of our own.

My husband indulged my wish, though perhaps without understanding fully why having pets was so important to me. A long-awaited visit to the shelter led us to five-month-old siblings “Dolce” and “Gabbana,” whose unfortunate names we promptly changed to “Vera” and “Valentine” in furry homage to some of our favorite science fiction pieces. Sampson thought they were cute, certainly, and that their kitten antics were amusing, but having animals in the house was still out of the ordinary for him.

A few months later, though, when Sampson and I were taking a walk around the neighborhood to enjoy the pleasant temperature, he observed that something had changed. “You know, I can’t imagine not having the cats. It feels like they’ve been with us forever.” Continuing down that line of thought, he remarked, “It makes me feel better about having kids someday, knowing that a new creature can become part of the family just like that.”

Sampson may not have known he was a “cat person” at heart until we brought home our own feline overlords, but he cannot deny it now. I think he misses the kitties almost as much as he misses me on this deployment. When we’re lucky enough to be able to video chat, he lights up when a cat wanders into webcam range. I assure him that yes, of course the cats miss him, but I can’t resist pointing out that it probably has something to do with the fact that I don’t wake up as early to feed them when I don’t have a hungry pilot at home wanting breakfast before a morning brief.

Neither of us believe that kids and cats are anywhere near the same thing, but it is still valuable to learn that yes, we can open up our hearts and lives to new members of our family. Pets are not children, but they still depend on us and we still love them to the point that we cannot fathom not having them with us. In return, they provide acrobatic entertainment and hilarity and snuggles and purrs. They teach us that no matter what the military life throws our way, life is good as long as you have a working can opener and a warm place to nap.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

It's Thursday, which means another week of Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop! And because I love making top 10 lists, I decided to use one of Mama Kat's prompts to write a Thursday edition of Top 10 Tuesday.

It's not easy being a mom, especially a new mom. We'd all like to think that our maternal instincts will kick in the second our babies pop out of the womb and that we'll raise the perfect child. But those are dreams of the rookie mom. Eventually we live and we learn from those rookie mistakes, and at some point we figure out that motherhood, for better or for worse, isn't what we thought it would be.

Here are my...

Top 10 Signs That You're a Rookie Mom

{And yes, I am guilty of every single one of these.)

10) You think you’re going to bounce back to your pre-baby weight as quickly as all those celebrities who have at their beck and call a team of personal trainers, nutritionists, chefs, massage therapists, and nannies.

9) You immediately gasp and jump every time your child stumbles or bumps her head.

8) You adamantly refuse to use your television as a baby-sitter even though you haven’t showered in 3 days.

7) You buy all those fancy, expensive, and completely unnecessary gadgets, not knowing that a baby will not only survive but live a very fulfilling life without a wipe warmer. You also spend way too much money on designer outfits that are destined to be ruined after only one wear by explosive diarrhea, vomit, drool, snot, and mashed peas.

6) You judge other mothers' parenting styles and blame them for their children's bad behavior. Because after all, those mothers are doing it all wrong, and you're doing it all right.

5) You read every parenting book on the market and attempt to follow every piece of advice even though all of the “experts” contradict each other.

4) You feel guilty for not following the advice of said contradicting experts.

3) You think you’re going to make the right decision in every parenting situation.

2) You still hold out hope that one day you’ll get a full night of uninterrupted sleep.

1) It never occurred to you that your child wouldn’t be the most beautiful, intelligent, athletic, well-behaved, well-rounded, precocious child that ever walked this earth. But be reassured that once you realize they're not perfect, you'll discover that moms love their kids not in spite of their imperfections, but because of them. Just as our kids love us for ours.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

At one point or another, I have probably proclaimed that my husband is the perfect man (and I probably proclaimed that at the very beginning of our relationship). Admit it, you've probably said the same about your husband. But we all know that there is no such thing as the perfect man.

But what would happen if we could build the perfect man, kind of like that movie Weird Science when 2 teenage man-boys built their ideal woman? What would the result be if we took a whole bunch of celebrities and threw them into a pot, mixed them up, and let all their best qualities bubble to the surface?

There are oh so many male celebrities to choose from for their own unique reasons! Unfortunately, a couple of my top picks were automatically disqualified for things like stupidity (Tom Cruise for his Oprah couch-hopping incident and the Brooke Shields bashing idiocy), lack of sound judgment (Brad Pitt, you are so darn pretty, but Angelina Jolie is her own brand of crazy), and lack of maturity (Zac Efron and Justin Bieber may be the cool kids right now but I like my men to be men).

So here are my...

Top 10 Celebrities I Would Use to Build the Perfect Man

(10)

Hugh Grant (I've been in love with that accent since I practically peed my pants watching "Four Weddings and a Funeral")

(9)

Patrick Dempsey (oh, to run my fingers through that hair)

(8)

Bruce Willis (don't know why I love this tough guy but yippee ki yay)

(7)

﻿Mark Wahlberg (hello abs and biceps)

(6)

Harry Connick Jr. (just so he could sing to me all day)

(5)

Will Ferrell (the perfect man needs the perfect sense of humor)

(4)

Ben Affleck (how ya like them apples?)

(3)

George Clooney (as long as he didn't discuss politics)

(2)

Matthew McConaughey (what is there not to like about this man?)

(1)

Matt Damon (he just seems like a really nice guy who happens to be able to write Oscar winner screenplays and also happens to be the actor I would choose to play Mr. Roller Coaster in a movie about us)

Which celebrities would you choose to make their contribution to your perfect man?

{And by the way, Mr. Roller Coaster may not be the perfect man, but he's the perfect man for me.}

Monday, February 7, 2011

Have you ever seen that episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond" where Ray and Debra ignore a suitcase sitting on their staircase for 3 weeks? Basically, Ray comes home from a business trip and out of sheer laziness, leaves his suitcase unpacked because he expects his wife to unpack it. And Debra refuses to unpack it out of sheer frustration that that's what he expects her to do. So the suitcase sits and sits and sits as they carry on their battle of the baggage.

Well, it seems the Roller Coaster household is waging our own battle of the baggage. My husband returned from a trip 2 weeks ago. And his suitcase is STILL sitting in our bedroom. I love my husband and greatly respect him, but I'm sorry, he is a grown man, an adult quite capable of removing items from a suitcase, depositing the contents in their appropriate locations, and returning the empty suitcase to the attic. And although I am a grown adult capable of performing such tasks as well, I, much like Debra, feel that it is not my responsibility to clean up after him.

Unfortunately, Mr. Roller Coaster and I are both extremely stubborn people. I'd venture to say our stubbornness frequently reaches childish proportions. That's why that suitcase is still sitting there. And every time I walk into my bedroom, I see it sitting there. I want to kick it. I want to throw it down the stairs. I want to unzip it and unload its contents out my bedroom window. But no, I continue to ignore it. As does Mr. Roller Coaster.

I have no doubt that Mr. Roller Coaster's suitcase will continue to collect dust in our bedroom until he has to leave for another trip and has no other choice but to unpack it and promptly pack it again. In the meantime, we'll continue to play this silly childish game because we're both too stubborn to give in.

Here's to Ray and Debra!

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What would you do? Would you unpack the suitcase? Or would you wait for your husband to unpack it? Do you ever feel like Debra when she said, "If I don't do it, it doesn't get done"?

Friday, February 4, 2011

I'm honored to be guest blogging over at Uncork and Unwined today! Since she blogs about her travel adventures while being stationed in Germany, I thought I'd write about my experience living overseas. After you check me out, make sure you stay awhile and visit. Wine, coffee, travel, recipes, book reviews...what's NOT to love?!

And don't forget, it's Friday, and you know what that means...

That's right, it's the Mil Spouse Weekly Roundup #22! This week's host is No Model Lady. Make sure you go link up one of your posts from this week!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

I've known about Mama Kat's Writing Workshop pretty much ever since I started blogging, but I've never participated. In case you've never heard of this awesome meme, Mama Kat over at Mama's Losin' It offers up a handful of writing prompts every week. Take your pick of prompts, write about it, and link up with her. It's a great way to get inspired, especially for bloggers like me who seem to be creatively challenged these days.

I chose prompt #4, but in case you were interested in seeing them all, this week's prompts are:

1.) Prenuptial Agreement…Yay or Nay? Explain.
2.) You’re not always right…no you’re not…no you’re not…no you’re not….tell us about a time you were wrong.
3.) Describe the last thing that made you laugh really hard.4.) A letter to your future teen.
5.) Valentine’s Day is coming…share a favorite Valentine’s tradition.

So here goes...

Dear Big C,Well, you are a teenage boy. Where did the time go? It feels like just yesterday that you were in 1st grade and gearing up for your 7th birthday party.

It’s difficult for a mother to imagine her children growing into independent adults. Instead of thinking about our children driving and dating and opening their own Facebook accounts, it’s so much easier to remember the days when our children relied on us for everything.

When you were little, I tried to imagine what you’d be like as a teenager. Would you still have blonde hair? Would you still be a cautious perfectionist? Would you still stay up past your bedtime with your nose stuck in a book? Would you still have that brilliant smile that showed off the dimple in your chin? Would you still hug me and tell me you love me?

I also wondered (and worried about) how life as a military brat would affect you. You never had trouble in the social department. I always joked that you could befriend a brick wall. And that ability to make friends with ease is certainly an asset to any military brat who is forced to spend their youths moving around the world and frequently saying good-bye to friends. I always hoped that your experiences as a military brat would enhance your already social personality as opposed to compelling you to withdraw and rebel. I imagined that living the life of a military brat would lead you to follow one of two very different paths: you would either enter high school as a bitter, resentful, rebellious teenager with a blue mohawk and inappropriate body piercings, or you would be a respectful, confident, well-rounded young man who appreciated and learned from his experiences. I can only hope that your father and I helped you to see the positive aspects of being a military brat more than the negatives.

Kids pass through many stages in their lives, and as a mother, I’ve tried to enjoy all of them as they happen. Whenever I’ve found myself gripped by frustration and wishing you were older or more independent or more verbal (or less verbal) or in that next stage already, I’ve tried to pause and remind myself to enjoy the present stage while I can because I can never get it back.

When you were a baby and screamed in the middle of the night with colic, I reminded myself that a time would soon come when I’d no longer smell your baby sweetness as I rocked you in my arms. When you were in the midst of your terrible two’s and you learned how to get my attention by holding your breath until you almost passed out, I reminded myself that a time would soon come when our arguments would be much more hurtful than your wordless tantrums. When you were five and informed me I was no longer allowed to kiss you good-bye when the school bus picked you up for kindergarten, I reminded myself that a time would soon come when you wouldn’t allow me to express affection at all, in public or private. I want to remember all of these stages for what they were: building blocks in the development of the man you will soon become. And your teenage stage? Well, I can’t wait to see what surprises this phase of your life brings.

You are my first born. You will always be my baby. And I will love you regardless of whether you have a blue mohawk or a blonde high and tight. Now stop rolling your teenage eyes and give me a hug!

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

I love Dr. Seuss! And he's been on my brain a lot lately since I just wrapped up a month-long Dr. Seuss unit in my classroom.

As a parent trying to instill a love of books in my young children, as a kindergarten teacher trying to find fun ways to teach beginning readers, and as a writer who has written a (yet unpublished) children's book, I think Dr. Seuss was a GENIUS.

Dr. Seuss had this amazing ability to teach lessons surreptitiously. Kids listen to his books and think they’re all about silly rhymes and nonsensical words. Sure, some of them are simply unadulterated silliness. But so many Dr. Seuss books have hidden messages that kids can relate to and continue to process long after the rhymes are forgotten.

My top 10 list today was originally going to be my favorite excerpts from Dr. Seuss books. However, when I did a little Googling, I discovered that Dr. Seuss shared lots of other tidbits of wisdom outside of his famous children's books. (I also discovered that "Yertle the Turtle" was about Hitler!)

Here are my...

Top 10 Dr. Seuss Quotes

10) "They say I'm old-fashioned, and live in the past, but sometimes I think progress progresses too fast!"

9) "Adults are just obsolete children and the hell with them."

8) "You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."

7) "In my world, everyone's a pony and they all eat rainbows and poop butterflies!"

6) "Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple."

5) “I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life's realities.”

4) "We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love."

3) "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."

2) "So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads."

1) "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."